


Crying in her Sleep

by TeamFranky



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: Abuse, F/F, Nightmares, Trauma, frerica - Freeform, night-terrors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2119101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamFranky/pseuds/TeamFranky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Wentworth, Erica hears Franky talking and crying in her sleep so wakes her up. Franky is distressed, Erica is worried. They retire to their balcony, and Franky finally tells Erica what really happened to her at Wentworth...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crying in her Sleep

Franky had been talking in her sleep again.  
Erica would often wake up periodically to the woman’s sounds, not often discernible, but Erica had at times been able to make out singular words. “Mum” “Red” “Jacs” “Simmo” “Liz” “Dad” and even her own name, “Erica,” had frequently escaped Franky’s unconscious mouth.  
It was always with a tone of desperation that Franky spoke in her sleep, a tone that Erica never heard from her awake.   
Often, Erica could hear pleas among Franky’s moaning, “no” “please” “stop” “don’t”. It was these that Erica hated the most, is saddened her so deeply to imagine the sorts of things that must have been done to Franky for nightmares of this type to be so frequent.   
It was 2:45am when Erica woke up to Franky’s sleep-talking this time.  
“Get the fuck away from me,” Franky said groggily, through gritted teeth. Erica turned on her dim bed-side lamp, and looked down at Franky. She could see a sparkling layer of sweat on Franky’s forehead, sticking her dark hair down. Erica continued to watch Franky’s face, as she spoke again. In a terrified, small, desperately strangled voice, Franky quietly cried the word “no!” At this precise moment Erica saw Franky’s brow furrow, and all the muscles in her chest and abdomen clench tightly, as tears began to fall from Franky’s large, closed eyes.   
Erica shook Franky’s shoulders to wake her up.  
“Franky?” Erica said firmly.  
As Franky woke up she gasped loudly, opening her eyes wide and jolting her limbs as though she felt she was falling.  
“Franky you were having a nightmare.” Erica said in a soothing voice.  
Franky was still breathing heavily, but the expression of primal fear was slowly fading from her face as she looked at Erica and came to her senses.  
Franky wiped the tears from her face with the blanket, and the sweat from her forehead on the back of her hand.  
“You’re safe, Franky.” Erica said, as Franky looked up at her with her big eyes. Franky stood up quickly, throwing the blanket off herself as she was so hot and sweaty. She paced around the room with her hands behind her head, still struggling to catch her breath.   
Erica was worried, she sat up in bed and asked “Are you all right Franky?”  
Franky looked at the floor, let her arms fall and swing by her sides, and shook her head. She looked back up at Erica, square in the eyes, as a single tear fell from each eye.  
Erica’s heart sank.   
Franky walked towards the French doors, shoved one across, walked out onto the balcony, and closed the door behind her. Erica was watching her through the glass, and saw Franky slump over the railing of the balcony. The night was as silent as an empty church, and Erica heard the muffled sounds of Franky’s crying as she released her unrestricted sobs into the black night sky, and the silent, cold, night-time city air.   
Franky was so relieved to be outside; ever since Wentworth, Franky had felt smothered any time she was anywhere without a window. The cold air soothed her burning hot skin. She had felt as though she could hardly breathe in that room, she had to get some air.  
Franky stayed there for a while, just leaning on the railing and crying. Eventually she retired to one of the chairs out there. She hugged her knees as she sat, and stared silently into space.   
Erica tentatively slid the French door across, and stepped out onto the balcony. She had been in so much pain listening to Franky’s rasping, guttural sobs from inside, but had decided to wait before joining her girlfriend, because after all, Franky had closed the door behind her.   
Erica leant down and embraced Franky tightly. Franky nuzzled her face into Erica’s chest. Erica was so warm.   
“You’re frozen” Erica said, rubbing Franky’s icy arm to try and warm it up. She quickly went back into the bedroom, and returned with two blankets. Erica wrapped the both tightly around Franky’s still shoulders.  
Erica sat outside with her, on the other chair. She scooted her chair so that it was right next to Franky’s, and they were both looking outwards at the city below and the stars above.   
Erica took Franky’s hand in her own, and held in her lap.   
Franky leant her head on Erica’s shoulder, and Erica stroked her hair.  
“I never told you this before,” Franky began, in a quiet, low voice, speaking slowly, “but there was a time, in Wentworth, when Jacs got a crew together…” Erica was focused, listening to every word Franky was saying, and feared what was coming next; “they were gonna…” Franky paused to take a breath, “rape me.” Erica closed her eyes. She felt an enormous sinking feeling in her chest. “They had me in the gym, after I got out of the slot…” Franky continued, “her girls had me by the arms. They had a screwdriver.” At this, tears came to Erica’s eyes. Her throat tightened. “They were really gonna do it. Luckily I was prepared. I had my own crew come in and help me out. But if I hadn’t been… it was so close, Erica…” Erica squeezed Franky’s hand harder. The pain in the voice of the woman she loved more than anything else in the world made her guts churn.  
Franky sniffed.   
“In my dream, I was back at Wentworth. I was naked. Miss Bennett was searching me. She left, and then Jacs came in. She pulled out the screwdriver from her pocket, and walked towards me. I tried to cover myself up, I tried to hit her or get the screwdriver out of her hand, but my hands were trapped above my head, being burned in a steam-press. I could hear the skin on my hands sizzling, and feel and smell the burning of my own flesh. It was agony Erica, I couldn’t get my hands free…” Franky sniffed again, her voice becoming more and more constricted as she continued to speak through the tears. “as Jacs got closer to me with the screwdriver, I looked up at her face. Then I realised she’d turned into my mum. I looked back at her hand, and the screwdriver had turned into a lit cigarette. She burned my stomach over and over and over, like she used to when I was a kid. She wouldn’t stop…” Franky’s shoulders began to shudder now.  
All Erica could do was hold her in her arms, as tears were falling from her own eyes, and whisper in Franky’s ear “you’re safe now. I will never, ever let anything like that happen to you again. Not ever.”


End file.
